What's your normal listening distance and db level at that distance at home?

[BobbyTimmons]

What's your normal listening distance at home and and the db level at that distance at home in terms of the average and the peaks? Be aware that peaks are not always caught by cell phone apps. Does it vary depending on what you are playing?

 

[Philbo King]

6 feet at 70 dB

 

[benanders]

Listening distance avg 12-16’, range 6-25’.
dB avg low/mid 60s (background) to 89 (rockout)
dB peaks kept at 102
dB levels are both content- and duration-dependent.

Edit: dB-Z in my case

 

[Ron Texas]

Around 7' with volume well below reference.

 

[DanielT]

8 feet (2.4 M), 65 dB average. In peaks then 79 dB.

Edit:
The 79dB peak doesn't have to be music, I may have been doing something near my tablet that caused it.

 

[jooc]

What's your normal listening distance at home and and the db level at that distance at home in terms of the average and the peaks? Be aware that peaks are not always caught by cell phone apps. Does it vary depending on what you are playing?

I'll measure in a bit but I think what most folks will find is that their 'normal' listening volumes equate to something less than 2 watts of power - depending on the most typical modern bookshelf speakers being sold, maybe even less than a watt.

With the speakers I currently have I don't know that I'd ever really need more than about 15W of clean power, unless I'm moving out to the garage for a party or something and want to bother my neighbors a few blocks away

edit: according to the Soundmeter X phone app about 8 feet away from speakers, my typical 'soft' listening is at about 65dB average, peak at 76dB. I'll wait to listen at medium and 'loud' volumes until after my wife wakes up or I'm in trouble.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

6 feet at 70 dB

That's low level listening. Is that mainly classical?

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I'll measure in a bit but I think what most folks will find is that their 'normal' listening volumes equate to something less than 2 watts of power - depending on the most typical modern bookshelf speakers being sold, maybe even less than a watt.

It could be why a lot of things badly reviewed by Amir have ardent fans in the audiophile community. Many audiophiles have power requirements that can be met by a tube amp from 1947.

 

[DanielT]

That's pretty quiet. Is that mainly classical?

A matter of taste, I listen at a lower for me "normal listening volume".

Measured with dB app so with reservation how accurately it measures.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

8 feet (2.4 M), 65 dB average. In peaks then 79 dB.
View attachment 342549
Edit:
The 79dB peak doesn't have to be music, I may have been doing something near my tablet that caused it.

Just moving your hand near the mic could give you a 79db peak. Still 65 dB average could give you a 79 peak.

 

[thegeton]

10 feet, ~80dB average.

 

[Muddywaters]

I think people should share the method used ie phone app, mic + REW spl meter etc as well as dBC or A weighting used, otherwise it’s a jumble of random noise.

I’m at 9ft. Last night rockin’ some Tom Petty Wildflowers the REW/Umik1 spl meter dBA mode showed max 97.6. The LZ Peak was 113.7.

Average listening level most of the time 80-85 dBC guessing

 

[DanielT]

Just moving your hand near the mic could give you a 79db peak. Still 65 dB average could give you a 79 peak.

Well, I'm a coke nut. ,
I don't know if I should blame the dB app because where is the microphone on my Tablet? I will test tomorrow with the same app with my mobile and Tablet and see if the results differ.

 

[Steve Dallas]

Seven to 9 feet. 75dBC average using an old Radio Shack SPL meter.

 

[ZolaIII]

Mid 70's at 3 m with loudness and mid 60's background at 3 m but regardless of distance at such SPL and calibration done to 86 dB white noise (-20 dB for theoretical max peak but realistically peaks are at top 17 dB with very dynamic great recordings).

 

[ZolaIII]

Well, I'm a coke nut. , View attachment 342582
I don't know if I should blame the dB app because where is the microphone on my Tablet? I will test tomorrow with the same app with my mobile and Tablet and see if the results differ.

It catches the scratch close to mic and all do that app is one of the better on Android it won't catch peeks good and won't go beyond 89 dB. It does average good and that's enough, you add DR of played material and that's the peek.

 

[DanielT]

edit: according to the Soundmeter X phone app about 8 feet away from speakers, my typical 'soft' listening is at about 65dB average, peak at 76dB. I'll wait to listen at medium and 'loud' volumes until after my wife wakes up or I'm in trouble.

Aha! Thus, if we ignore in the context of what one experiences as "normal" listening volume, it is the same result that I got, see #5. I don't know what if you know about this, but for others reading this thread. Measuring distance from the speakers doesn't really matter much because the listening room functions as a reverb chamber.

Try moving the milrophone around the room and you get more or less the same result. Although not very close to the speaker. When that happens, anyone can test with a free dB app. I think the results will surprise.

Edit:
Or not. Everyone intuitively knows how it sounds in an ordinary room, the sound level in different, all, parts of the room.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Aha! Thus, if we ignore in the context of what one experiences as "normal" listening volume, it is the same result that I got, see #5. I don't know what if you know about this, but for others reading this thread. Measuring distance from the speakers doesn't really matter much because the listening room functions as a reverb chamber.

Try moving the milrophone around the room and you get more or less the same result. Although not very close to the speaker. When that happens, anyone can test with a free dB app. I think the results will surprise.

Edit:
Or not. Everyone intuitively knows how it sounds in an ordinary room, the sound level in different, all, parts of the room.

The wattage demands of some audiophiles would be even lower.

 

[Philbo King]

That's low level listening. Is that mainly classical?

No, it's mixing multitrack songs. It allows me to work longer before ear fatigue sets in.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

80 dB which is when I sit down and zoom out and enjoy the music. When I feel like it I crank it to 86 dB with peaks of >110 dB obviously in the bass. This gives me short term tinnitus afterwards so I don't crank it very often.

The values are LAeq measured by app at listening pos. about 3 m. from speakers.